Micromax has worked its way up the ladder to challenge some big players in the industry. The company has a strong budget-smartphone portfolio and it recently expanded its offering with the launch of the Canvas Spark 3.

As the number signifies, it is the third generation model of the original Canvas Spark, which was launched in April last year. The company followed up on the success of its Canvas Spark by launching Canvas Spark 2 in September. Here's a look at everything that's changed in the past months.

Display

The original Canvas Spark had a 4.7-inch qHD display with 960x540 pixels and Corning Glass 3 protection. The Canvas Spark 2 had a bigger display measuring 5 inches diagonally and packed 480x854 pixels. Finally, Micromax worked up the spec-sheet for its Canvas Spark 3, which sports a 5.5-inch IPS display with 1280x720 pixel resolution screen.

It is clear that the latest model offers the best screen resolution and a bigger display.

Camera

Micromax hasn't marked any major updates over the camera specifications. The original Canvas Spark and the Canvas Spark 3 sport the same 8MP primary camera with LED flash and a 5MP front snapper. The Canvas Spark 2 had a marked-down camera, 5MP primary camera and 2MP front snapper, as the price had been lowered by Rs 1,000 compared to its predecessor.

CPU, RAM and storage

All three phones feature the same 1.3GHz quad-core processor, backed by 1GB RAM. Except the Canvas Spark 2, which had 4GB internal storage, the Canvas Spark and Spark 3 offered 8GB storage. A microSD card slot in all three phones supports an additional 32GB.

Battery

A significant improvement has been made to accommodate a better capacity battery over the months. The Canvas Spark 3 packs a 2500mAh battery, which claims to offer 22 hours of talk time. The Canvas Spark 2 had an 1800mAh battery, while the Canvas Spark packed a 2000mAh unit.

Add-ons

All three smartphones have dual SIM slots with 3G support, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Android Lollipop. The Canvas Spark 3 has pre-loaded apps like Olx, Hike, Skype, Snapdeal and others, which some users might find handy but some might disregard them as bloatware.

Price and availability

The Canvas Spark was launched with a price tag of Rs. 4,999, while the toned-down specs of the Canvas Spark 2 managed to put the device's cost to Rs. 3,999. The latest Canvas Spark 3 costs the same as did the original handset -- Rs. 4,999.

Micromax continued its partnership with Snapdeal for Canvas Spark 3, like it did with previous models, to sell the ultra-affordable handset exclusively on the site. The Canvas Spark 3 goes on sale for the first time in India on April 7 as the flash sale commences at 12 noon. Registrations are mandatory to participate in the sale.

Conclusion

All three Canvas Spark smartphones are best options for first-time buyers. However, the Canvas Spark 3 is the latest model and has an advantage over its predecessors. The pricing of the handsets is similar, except for the Canvas Spark 2, which is expected considering the downgraded specs, so it is best to opt for the Canvas Spark 3 instead of the original Canvas Spark, which is no longer available for sale.